Boy Meets Body

Partners in Crime #1

by Josh Lanyon, Sarah Black

BOY MEETS BODY #1 in the PARTNERS in CRIME series Two young lives snuffed out, half a century a part, half a continent apart. The men who solve the murders also have to solve riddles in their own lives. Love is never easy. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can give your life to it. Sometimes, though, if you're not so lucky, you can give your life for it... Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon Fifty years ago a glamorous Hollywood party ended in murder-the only clue a bloody Tarot card. Timothy North is trying to find out what happened that long ago summer's night, but when a Tarot card turns up pinned to his front door, the only person Tim can turn to for help is his ex-lover, Detective Jack Brady. Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel by Sarah Black Peter Moon, proprietor of a charming little get-away in the Land of the Midnight Sun, finds himself headed for less comfortable accommodations when he's accused of murder. Then his personal heartbreak showed up, fresh from six months in a Yukon River fish camp, determined to help.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Anthologies, Contemporary, Fiction, LGBT

171 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2007

About the author

Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.


Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Reviews

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were two stories in this anthology, first in the "Partners in Crime" series: Josh Lanyon's "Cards on the Table" and Sarah Black's "Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel".

Lanyon's story was excellent, as usually. Yes, I love his writing so much that any objectivity goes right out of the window. His stories push all my buttons and especially the hurt/comfort ones. They just make me feel good!

Black's story made me cry, like literally. The murder victim was that lovable. I have to say that all the characters were unique and intriguing, but Black's writing... It doesn't run as smoothly as Lanyon's. Especially the dialogs: The fact that the speakers tended to repeat the name of the person they were talking to in every part of their dialog was a bit annoying because I have yet to see anybody do that in RL. Still, Black sure knows how to evoke emotions.

[The Flooze · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars for "Cards on the Table"*
A fifty-year-old cold case, a reporter whose confidence has been shaken, and an enigmatic cop who keeps showing up at the door. In "Cards on the Table," Josh Lanyon turns these elements into an interesting mystery/romance, but I can't label this one of my favorites; I didn't feel as connected to these characters as I'd have liked. Still, it's a pleasant read that mixes emotional drama with a smattering of danger and tempers it all with moments of sweetness.

*2 stars for "Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel"*
Black's "Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel," however, was not a pleasant read. Drawn out and tiresome, the story seemed never-ending. The murder mystery was poorly crafted: I didn't care a bit about the victim and the investigation was practically non-existent. The prose was overdone. The dialogue was stilted and the characters lacked individual voices. To rectify this last issue, the author resorted to having the speakers compulsively use direct address: "Michelle, did you enjoy this story? Because it doesn't sound as though it clicked for you on any level. Is it fair for me to say that, Michelle?" "Why, yes, Michelle. I think it's very fair to say that. I'm surprised you picked up on that, Michelle." "Me, too, Michelle. Sigh. Me, too."

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't actually read Sarah Black's novel, only Josh Lanyon's. Cards on the Table is relatively short, but -- as with all Lanyon's work, actually -- I very quickly came to care about the characters. Jack is a good guy: not a jerk who you like anyway, but an actually good guy who has legitimate concerns about being with Tim. That makes him all the more likeable -- that his issues are understandable, even sensible. I actually liked him more than Tim, though there was nothing I particularly disliked about Tim.

The story of the mystery itself was well written, too, though decidedly -- personally, anyway -- second to the relationship developing between Tim and Jack. I didn't really get invested in the mystery, if that's any indication: the climax for me was the relationship between Tim and Jack, not the solution of the mystery.

[Ladypessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good I enjoyed reading it.
The first story was extremely good. I liked Tim and Jack really much. They were really sweet and their love was really insecure and it made it so darn cute. The story was really exciting.

I really would have liked to give this book five stars, but the second story left a really bitter taste in my mouth. Both stories were good, but I just couldn't make myself really like the second book's main character Peter.

Peter and Sebastian have been lovers for years. Peter owns and runs a small hotel and Sebastian is a professional musher, so he spends long periods of time away from Peter.

What really made me dislike this story was the fact that it started with tender sex scene that showed us Peter cheating on Sebastian with one of his guests, Jacob. A young and sweet musician who had fallen for Peter at first sight. They had a weekend fling and when Jacob was about to set off to his new life in Canada, he was murdered.
What really pissed me off, was that Peter was so broken over Jacobs murder. He wasn't broken the way people are when someone so sweet, kind and caring kid is killed, but he was broken like he had just lost the love of his life, which Jacob wasn't (Sebastian is).
It was so hard to read when Sebastian came back, and even though he's a strong and tough guy, he was so hurt when he learned his lover had cheated on him. It was absolutely heartbreaking when he talked about how he had always thought that Peter would always wait for him to come home. How he would always be just his. (Now I'm getting all teary again, damn it!)

The story itself was pretty good. It was well written, but because I couldn't stand Peter I couldn't really enjoy this story.

I hated it that the infidelity was rubbed in my face even in the last paragraph, it ruined an ending that would have been pretty sweet otherwise.

[Alyosha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cards on the Table - 4.5 stars, excellent, both the mystery and the romance were top notch.



Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel - 3 stars, the writing and the mystery were both decent.

I don't care for infidelity as a theme in a romance though(any other genre and I don't mind), which made me dislike the main character. Unfortunately he wasn't a very trustworthy narrator either, which made it impossible for me to connect with him.

[Josh]

Two novellas with but a single theme. In this, the first pairing with Sarah Black, we tackle old crimes and their influence on the present. A little bit of murder and romance to go with your nostalgia.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the two books, Josh Lanyon's was my favorite. "Cards On The Table", Timothy North has started writing a novel about an old murder case back in the '50s, and someone is not happy about it. Even getting beat up a couple of times he doesn't stop and won't.

He needs help from his upstairs detective, Jack Brady but after a one-night stand things have been dicey. These two men need to overcome what had caused the rift between them to work on whose after Tim. In doing so, the truth comes out between the lovers.

The book's suspense is both, whose trying to stop Timothy from finishing his book and the relationship that develops between the two men. Loved the story!

The second book by Sarah Black was one notch below Lanyon's..."Murder At the Heartbreak Hotel".
It has the same suspense, plus the love story between the Hotel owner, Peter Moon, and Sledder Sebastian, who have been together as a couple since they were very young. Though Sebastian tends to get restless and heads out to his cabin in the wild to be with his dogs and sled races. Which left Peter alone a lot over the years.

There are many characters in the story and I found keeping track of all of them just a little difficult. Peter had a one night fling with a gorgeous young man, Jacob and I believe it threw Peter into a loop. Especially when the young man is found dead outside his hotel.

So much happens with discovering the killer, and the complicated mess that Sebastian made of his relationship with Peter, and only hopes he's not too late to re-kindle their love. Great story, great book!

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed both stories, though for slightly different reasons.

Josh Lanyon's Cards on the Table is a nice little noir-ish mystery, complete with Hollywood starlets (albeit now aged and/or dead) and mafia thugs. Jack and Tim's relationship evolved nicely; the resolution of their issue felt natural and solid. I'd like to see these two again.

Slight spoilers ahead (kind of vague but, you know, in case you might care about anything kind of spoilery)......



Sarah Black's Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel felt like a novella taking place in an established world. There were a lot of characters...though, it does take place in a hotel. I know others have commented on the fact that they didn't like Peter because of his infidelity. I had a slightly different read on his and Sebastian's relationship, though. It seemed to me as though they were lovers, off and on, but had not actually committed to be exclusive. There are a few lines that Sebastian says which hint at his realising that he failed to make his desires known to Peter and was worried that he'd missed his chance to be with Peter. The story seemed to be more of Sebastian's attempts to win back Peter and make up for his lack of attention, which left Peter alone and vulnerable. The fear that each expresses at the other's absence made this more of a romance story than a murder mystery, really. The characters all said they wanted to find out who killed Jacob, but mostly their conversations then moved onto more personal topics. The actual sleuthing seemed to be a distant and removed action, so I can see why some wouldn't be happy with this story. I liked it, though, because it was more of a story about how losing someone so suddenly and so violently skews your perspective and shakes up your life.

[Shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, the quality of the print book was rather bad. A first from MLR books for me, so I'm not sure if it was only my copy or not but it was pretty shaky.

On to the stories, I was a little disappointed by Sarah's story, because it does start with one of the guy cheating on his boyfriend and there's the whole "I might have been in love with him even tho we were only together one day and one night". That doesn't make the boyfriend happy when he comes back because someone told him some young guy was sleeping in HIS bed. There are somewhat reasons for why he did it but are there any situation where excuses for cheating are really "valid"? I don't think so besides lack of communication. Something emphasized in this story here.

No whining about Josh Lanyon for his story this time.
He added a little twist to one of the guys that made it for me, very very interesting! I'm a sucker for stories with guys that aren't perfect or who have disabilities (the case here, however minor). It just adds a little spice to the romance. Cards on the Table remains my favorite of Josh Lanyon along with The Dark Horse.

[karlakolumna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon: 3.5 stars
Very engaging mystery. Suspenseful. Love the characters, especially Tim, who has difficulty to deal with his epilepsy, which he suffers from only for about 1-2 years. Lanyon sure knows how to write tortured souls. And although this isn't really anything new in Lanyon's stories, it's as good as ever.
The ending, though, didn't convince. It's way too rushed. It rather feels like Lanyon suddenly realises that he's got just 10 more sites left to write the resolution of the mystery and then tries to do just that...

Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel by Sarah Black: 1.5 stars
The plot plain and simple couldn't hold my attention. It started out looking promising, but it was not. Despite the fact that the MCs adress each other by name every other sentence, which manages to make my hair stand on end, because it makes all conversation seem unnatural and stilted, the mystery was quite unmystery and boring. Most of the time the plot describes how or what Peter is going to cook for his hotel guests. The resolution of the murder case is abrupt, boring and kinda convenient...

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This opinion is written for Sarah Black's "Murder at Heartbreak Hotel" only, since I have read Josh Lanyon's "Cards on Table" on different book.

This is one of the earlier writings of Sarah Black, and have I not read her more recent stories, I might not enjoy it very well. The writing feels a bit rough for me, and I have slightly difficult time to keep up with it.

HOWEVER, I do love the way she portrays the main two characters ... Peter and Sebastian. There is something lyrical to their relationship. Sebastian who is off to the wild for period of time, leaving Peter feels lonely. Then when the murder happens to the young man Peter bedded, Sebastian is back to help, and it a sense he returns home for good and trying to make Peter loves him back. It's beautiful and emotional.

[LDL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving this from the comment section: Well, now that I've read them both... The first (JL's) to me was like a mid century film. Sooth, subtle, and had a pacing that felt measured. I wasn't as caught up in the emotion of the love story or the suspense. The second... I have to admit I liked more. I really like SB's turn of phase, texture and details. I was more emotionally drawn into both the romance and mystery, and was expecting neither the big reveal nor the baddie. Good stuff!

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon
It will come as no surprise at all that I loved the mystery. A Hollywood's Golden Era mystery is the theme of Timothy North's book, and oh, my god! the characters are glorious! The old diva, the astrologer, the gangster and his son (Tony the Cock and Frankie the Weenie, c'mon!), all of them are endearing, and the story is easy to follow but keeps your interest until the end...
The romance is what takes one star of the five for this book. I like Tim and Jack, although for moments I want to shake them and shout at them. A bit. The sex is hot, and the reasons both of them have to behave the way they do are solid and understandable. Angst, miscommunication and hurt are at their best, but... the final understanding feels a little bit rushed.

Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel by Sarah Black
Okay, this is a weird situation. I love the descriptions, I love her writer's style... except when it comes to dialogue. Any time there was dialogue I was thrown off from the story. I think that in close to 80% of the dialogue, the first word of each sentence was a name. And, the next 20%, at least 15% have a name randomly tossed in it. And it's a shame because the story was interesting, and there were some really fascinating characters.
I didn't understand Peter and Sebastian's relationship, and I didn't understand Sebastian. At all. But it was a compelling read, so there is that :P
I'm willing to try another book by Sarah Black, in the hope that she had got a better editor.

[Deeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon

4 stars

Interesting mystery with a sweet little romance. The misunderstanding with Tim thinking the wrong thoughts was just enough to keep me interested and the final conversation at the end was perfect for me.

Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel by Sarah Black
3.5 Stars.

A rather bitter sweet read.

A little too flowery for me at times and a few details I questioned. But I liked Peter and Sebastian. The mystery kept me guessing, and as usual I was wrong lol.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cards On The Table

I want all my stories like this. Tims is fragile and stubborn, a dangerous combination, Jack is strong and concerned, an irresistible combination. It takes a while for them to find and re-find their way to each other, but it was so good.

The murder Tim is investigating is 50 years old but it still stirs something that someone would prefer to stay hidden. Tim finds himself in the line of fire, so to speak, and he asks Jack for help. Jack and Tim went on a few dates, but Jack made Tim understand he didn't want a relationship, and the feeling of being refused, especially because of his medical condition, left something sour in Tim. After an accident, Tim has been having seizures, but the seizures seem also an excuse Tim uses to keep Jack at distance when the cop begins to show his interest. The two men dance their way back together with a bit of mistrust and miscommunication. I couldn't put the book down. In the space of a novella there was the heartache of months, life changing events and how they impact on one's life, and especially Tim's need of being loved and accepted for what he is, for what happened to him.

Tim's investigation and emotional journey are weaved together beautifully and I almost felt I was living in two different periods at once, enjoying both the investigation and the glamour of the old Hollywood stars. Fantastic.

Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel

The title perfectly describes the story, it was truly heartbreaking. I don't want to give any plot point away, I just want to say that it was so full of loss, fragility, remorse, that I found myself spilling tears of mourning over a stolen life.

The protagonist, Peter, is not easy to like, and I'm not sure I liked him in the end, there was something flimsy about him before and during all the ordeal at his hotel. I read something else by this author and I wasn't able to like it because I couldn't connect with the characters, but here the story is so poignant, so emotional that I was really overwhelmed. I'll be checking something else from this author sooner.

If you don't like infidelity, you probably won't like this story. For me, it added an additional layer of what-ifs that really broke my heart.

This collection of two stories is very enjoyable and highly recommended if you want to sample these two authors.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cards on the Table was eerily reminicent of the Adrien English series. In this case, Tim is researching and writing about a decades old Hollywood murder and someone wants him to stop. Jack, a homicide detective, who lives on the otherside of the apartment complex, wants Tim back. But Tim has some issues to work through before Jack feels comfortable with Tim as a lover - he doesn't want to spend his work time dealing with other peoples issues only to come home and deal with Tim's issues.

I checked the publication dates and AEnglish was initally published 2000 and this one was published 2007. I enjoyed this one more than Sleepwalker as another comparison.

Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel. Peter runs the Heartbreak Hotel on Alaska's Glaiser Bay. Not a large place by any means, but a small get-away that caters to gays but anyone is welcome. A young cellist arrives, and it's love at first site. Peter's lonely; his on/off lover Sebastian has been gone for over 8 months up the Yukon with no word if he's ever going to return. Jacob is running from his past. Peter and Jacob have one night - Jacob's leaving for Monteal - but winds up dead in Peter's garden the next day.

There was something a bit off with the writing that kept me from really enjoying the story but I couldn't pinpoint quite what it was. Kinda like CJ Cherryh's dialog, it's not quite right. The murder-mystery was weak, but the cast of characters was interesting enough that I finished it in one sitting.

[Emily Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of Josh Lanyon. He is one of my favorite gay romance authors. His story in this anthology, "Cards on the Table" was not up to his usual standard. It felt like I was reading a repeat of his Adrien English series, only shorter and with a nicer love interest. The main character is a ex-reporter now writing a novel, albeit his novel is non-fiction, unlike Adrien's and his love interest, Jack is a cop much like Jake, but more personable. While I liked this story, I couldn't lose myself in the plot and the characters like I usually can with Josh's work.

I wasn't really impressed by the second and final story written by Sarah Black. "Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel" starred a hotel owner, Peter, whose current short-time lover is murdered and his on-again-off-again lover, Sebastian comes to his rescue. I didn't really like any of the characters besides Jacob and ex-marine, Travis. Peter's conflicting feelings for Sebastian and Jacob confused me. Peter said he loved Sebastian, but slept with another man and started to fall in love with said man in less than 48 hours. I just didn't enjoy reading this one and skimmed though the end.

This story is the main reason for my low rating on this book.

[SA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting pairing of two well-liked contemporary m/m romance authors. Lanyon's LA crime story was compelling, with great characters and an intriguing mystery. It really could have used a whole novel--actual length novel, not romance length novel--to tell the story, though, and things ended a bit too neatly. I liked Lanyon's characters, though, and wish there had been more space to explore the many aspects of the relationship, from the main character's epilepsy to the problems of a cop-reporter dynamic.

Black, from what I have read of her work thus far, seems to write variations of the same type of character more than once. And they're compelling characters, I'll allow, but often it seems like you're reading a cannoli: a bit flaky on the outside, too mushy on the inside, and not enough bite. I find myself wondering what kind of stories she would write if she had a more demanding editor and a longer form to write in. That being said, her works are a nice, if fluffy, distraction and her men are pretty damn hot. The murder mystery was kind of meh, but Sebastian and Peter can occupy my brain any time they like.

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two novellas are better than the average story in an anthology. The one by Josh Lanyon is an intriguing combo of mystery and romance, with two men who have issues to work through before coming together in reality. I like the sensitive, non-melodramatic way the author handled one character's disability (epilepsy).

The story by Sarah Black was another mystery-romance in line with the theme Boy Meets Body. The distinguishing aspect of this novella is that the author made me like a plot that included infidelity in a long-time relationship. These two men do love each other, but the murder is a major distraction in their efforts to work out the relationship. I was surprised how much I liked this couple.

[heardtheowl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything by Josh Lanyon!
In "Cards on the Table", Tim is a writer who is writing a book on an unsolved homicide of a movie vixen from the 40's (or 50's - not sure :P).
But some people aren't too pleased that he's poking around in the past.
He asks his neighbor , Jack, to give him a hand, as he's a homicide detective. Even though they haven't really spoken since the one night they spent together, Jack seems pleased to help Tim get info on his book....and other things.
You'll have to read it to see if they work things out and if Tim can get the info he needs to solve the case.


I'll get back to review the other story.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two different murder mysteries, two different writers. Josh Lanyon, always a good read, keeps the reader involved in his Cards on the Table story with all of the machinations required to find out who-done-it. Sarah Black, also a good read, didn't quite hit the mark in her Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel story. My main complaint about the story is the initial setup and how Peter was tied to the victim. I did like Sebastian and the Alaskan setting of the story. All in all, I liked Partners in Crime and I give it three and a half stars, which I'll round up to four stars because GoodReads doesn't do half stars. :- (

[Spiderorchid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology contains two very different novellas.

I gave the four stars for Lanyon's enjoyable "Cards on the table" and have to admit that I gave up on Sarah Black's "Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel" after the first few pages because I didn't like her writing style. If I'd been able to finish it, I would perhaps rated it one or two stars.

"Cards on the table" is typical for Lanyon, a suspenseful, well written mystery with an interesting love story subplot, good historical context and a nice, dry sense of humour. Ms. Black focusses on romance, writes a very emotional style and includes cute puppies. As I said, not my taste.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating is for Cards on the Table only. I loved this book and was very sad to see it end. Would have loved to have it be a full novel with some more twists and turns. But I cared more for the characters than I did for the mystery, not that that was a problem at all.

As for the second story in this volume, I hated it and couldn't get past the first few pages. Too many characters all introduced at once, and everyone had the annoying habit of using first names in every other line of dialogue. How often do you really say the name of the person you we speaking to in conversation?

[Keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both of these novellas were brilliantly created. Unusual situations but wonderfully dealt with. My hat goes off to Josh Lanyon who seems determined to disprove all of the conclusions about stereotyping and depictions of homosexuals I have drawn from my research into m/m erotica. The hero of Josh Lanyon's contribution suffers from epilepsy as a result of an recent accident and the way this disability is dealt with by both the hero and his love interest is amazing.

[Lillith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 3 am, I've just finished reading Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel with tears in my eyes. Maybe I'm a bit too emotional right now, but this story had just the right amounts of sorrow and hope to keep it away from extreme cliches. I find it human, and I thank the author for it.

Holy heartattack Batman

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate the first story, by Josh Lanyon, at a 4, maybe 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed it, although I felt like they went from fooling around to admitting their love a bit too quickly. The second story, by Sarah Black, just confused me. I enjoyed it but I don't know...I think I just missed something from it. So I would rate it 2.5, maybe 3 stars. So overall rating for this book would be 3 stars.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note that this is actually two stories. The first one by Josh Lanyon and the second by Sarah Black.

I'm giving 5 stars to Josh Lanyon's story. I've read it a few times now and, even knowing who dunnit, I still enjoy the story itself.

I couldn't get into the second story, so I can't rate that one. Maybe some other day it will draw me in to read it through.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a huge Sarah Black fan, but this series is worth buying simply for Lanyons's stories. The second and third books are even better. Ireally enjoyed them. This is how gay fiction should be done!

[Mara Ismine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two great stories from two great authors. An excellent Hollwood mystery from Josh Lanyon with some nice twists. Sarah Black supplied a complex murder story in Alaska - or to be more accurate everything but the murder was complex.

I really enjoyed both.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished Cards on the Table - loved it; loved the characters, the story and the writing. Definitely 5 stars for this.
Paused before starting the other story in this volume.
I liked the Sarah Black story, but not as much as Josh Lanyon's - maybe 3.5. It was a bit confusing.